


New Year's Eve

by citruscake



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Crack, M/M, Monsters, New Year's Eve, The Great Gatsby References, johnny is a prince, or kill him idk, six monster boys are in love with ten but they want to take him home and eat him, ten is a fashion designer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-25 23:14:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17130536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citruscake/pseuds/citruscake
Summary: ATTN: TENYou are cordially invited to the Vision Gala; a night of glitz, glamour, and fine wine.Alternatively, Ten spends his New Year's Eve trying to avoid being seduced by six monster boys who want to kill him.(inspired by 2pm - My House)





	1. An Invitation

“Ten,” Taeil stops in his boss’s door, arms folded as he leans on the doorway, “You have a letter.”

 

The designer looks up from his workspace, feathers sticking out of his hair and glasses lopsided. “What? I’m busy right now, why didn’t you just take care of it? You’re my secretary, I pay you to do that.”

 

Taeil looks at Ten pointedly. “I’m going to ignore that, since you’re clearly snapping from stress.” he pulls an envelope out of his pocket. “And yes, I read this already, but I think you need to take a look at it.”

 

He tosses the letter onto Ten’s desk and takes his leave, closing the door quietly. Ten glares in his direction and continues working, but somehow he finds himself in front of his desk, eyeing the envelope.

 

It’s a thick parchment, his name written in the finest ink. His curiosity piqued, he picks it up, fingers tracing over the maroon wax seal.

 

 

ATTN: TEN

 

You are cordially invited to the Vision Gala; a night of glitz, glamour, and fine wine. 

 

December 31st, 2018

8:00 PM - doors open 7:30PM 

 

127 VISION RD

NCITY, CA 90210

 

 

“You’d be stupid to not take up that invitation. You’ve literally been working yourself to the bone these past weeks, you deserve a night of fun.” And Taeil’s back, learning in the doorway again, with that judging gaze trained on Ten.

 

The designer stumbles back, slipping on a tiny piece of fabric and falling on the floor. “When did you get in here?!” he stutters.

 

“Doesn’t matter. I know you don’t want to go, but you deserve it. If something important comes up, I'll take care of it.”

 

Ten squints at his secretary.

 

“…. Fine. I guess one night couldn’t hurt.”

 

 

\------------

 

 

December 31st, 2018

8:20PM

 

The last place Ten expected to be dropped off at was quite possibly the biggest mansion he has ever seen, littered with partygoers all over the gardens, butlers carrying trays of champagne, balloons, dancers, and much more. The designer can't help but think to himself that he's about to walk into a scene from The Great Gatsby, and he looks over to his driver/secretary in fear.

 

Taeil stares back at him, expressionless. "You get the hell out of my car right now before I get up and drag you out."

 

"But Taeil-"

 

"No buts. You agreed to go to this party, and you are not backing out now. Not after I drove almost forty minutes to get to such a remote part of the city." Taeil parks the car, leaning an arm on the window and turning to observe the party. "Besides, it looks like it's going to be fun."

 

"But-"

 

Taeil looks back to his boss. "I said no buts. You are going to get your ass out of my car right now and enjoy yourself tonight, you hear me?"

 

Ten closes his eyes, brows knitted together in frustration. He finally groans, shoulders dropping in defeat. "… Fine…"

 

Taeil immediately smiles back at him. "Good. Text me when you're ready to come home, okay? And I don't want to hear from you until after midnight."

 

Begrudgingly, Ten steps out of the car, adjusting his bowtie and suit jacket. He's wearing his own designs tonight, and despite the circumstances, he's proud he has a chance to show off his work in a place that isn't a runway.

 

He walks over to the drivers side of the car, placing one hand on the window and shooting Taeil his best puppy eyes. Taeil rolls down the window and looks at him.

 

"Ten."

 

He groans again. "Fine. I'm going."


	2. 9:00 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten is introduced to Lucas, who has been dying to meet him.

Ten lets out a deep sigh as he weaves his way through the various sounds of laughter, idle chitchat, and champagne glasses clinking. There's a live band playing upbeat swing music, adding more to the designer's weird feelings about the aesthetic of the party. He's never seen someone so effortlessly pull off a Gatsby-themed party, if that's what this even is.

 

Wait a second.

 

Ten realizes he has absolutely no idea who invited him to this party. After a moment of thought, he comes to the conclusion that adding a little adventure to this night would make it a hundred times more fun, and with a hopeful heart he cracks the first smile of the night.

 

A butler passes by with a tray of champagne. He takes the first glass he sees, motioning for the butler to wait, and he downs it in one go. He puts the glass back on the butler's tray and walks away, leaving the poor man dumbfounded behind him.

 

Ten spends about half an hour idly chatting with the various guests in attendance, finding that many of them were invited on behalf of a mysterious man referred to as Prince Seo. Many of the guests recognize him as the famous fashion designer he is, some even going as far to suggest design ideas to him. He accepts them graciously, and he can't tell if it's the alcohol or the confidence boost going to his head.

 

He also notices that almost everyone he talks to seems to be a bit airheaded tonight, and he slowly becomes a little suspicious. He stops halfway through his second glass of champagne, swapping it with an ice cold glass of water as he realizes he should be as sober as possible for this investigation.

 

Ten concludes another conversation as he finds himself near the dance floor, watching the partygoers move in time with the swing music. He smiles as he watches everyone enjoy themselves, swishing his water gently as he takes light sips. He can't help but feel reminiscent of all the high school dances he used to attend.

 

Suddenly, he notices someone watching him from across the room. He doesn't break eye contact as the person makes his way over to the designer, effortlessly weaving through the various people.

 

There's something different about him in comparison to the rest of the partygoers. For starters, he's extremely handsome, in an almost blinding way. Ten's positive he would hire him as a model in a heartbeat, if not for the strange look in his eyes. He's not sure if that gaze is just pure curiosity, or something more.

 

Ten is suddenly overwhelmed by the scent of cheap cologne and something else that he can't seem to figure out. Immediately, his senses are on alert.

 

"Having fun?" The stranger asks, taking a sip of champagne, pierced eyebrow raising in question.

 

Ten's eyes linger a bit too long on the piercing, and he raises his glass of water as a response. "Yes, it's quite an interesting party. I definitely was not expecting to spend my New Year's Eve here, if I'm being fully honest."

 

"Is that so?" The stranger's curiosity is piqued. "Where would you have been spending it instead?"

 

"Most likely in my studio, working on my pieces for a client." Ten's wary of the information he's giving out; he can see the way the stranger's eyes are sizing him up, in an almost predatory way.

 

"Sounds interesting." The stranger holds out a hand to shake. "Nice to eat you, by the way. I'm Lucas."

 

"…Excuse me?"

 

"Meet you. Nice to meet you."

 

Ten warily shakes his hand, making a mental note of how cold and clammy it feels. "Ten. Nice to meet you as well."

 

Lucas offers a dazzling smile, an arrow shot straight through Ten's heart. The designer knows very well that Lucas has ulterior motives, but he can't seem to figure out what they are just yet.

 

"What do you do for a living, Lucas?" Ten changes the direction of the conversation to see if he can get more information out of the person in question.

 

"I'm a mortician. I work at the local cemetery, actually."

 

A what? "Interesting choice of occupation."

 

"It was a no brainer." Lucas laughs and stretches his arms, and Ten swears he hears all sorts of bones pop. "Man, I'm dead tired. Wanna get out of here?"

 

It only takes a few moments of thought before Ten puts all the pieces together in his head.

 

A mortician, drenched in cheap cologne masking another scent… A horrible, nose wrinkling scent of death.. The odd choice of words, the bones cracking…

 

Lucas was a zombie.

 

Ten takes a step back as he realizes that Lucas most definitely wanted to take him home and eat him, his expression changing immediately. He laughs nervously. "I think I'm going to stay here, actually. There's a few people I know who also got invited that I haven't spoken with yet."

 

"Ten! There you are!"

 

Ten feels an arm around his shoulder and looks up to find the most dashing man he has ever seen, dressed in a light gray suit. His black hair is pushed back, a single curl falling in front of his forehead. Ten feels like he just fell in love.

 

The designer looks back to Lucas to see his expression completely twisted into one of darkness. He mutters a few words, saying his goodbyes, as he takes a few steps back and disappears into the crowd just as quickly as he appeared.

 

"Sorry about Lucas, he's just a zombie. I've actually been looking for you for a while now."

 

"… A… A zombie? Forgive me, but who the hell are you?"

 

The stranger looks down to him, offering the most gentle smile, stopping Ten's heart for the second time that night. He's about to introduce himself, but then a butler appears behind him, whispering into his ear.

 

Prince Seo, your presence is requested at the entrance.

 

"I think you'll have to forgive me instead, Ten. My deepest apologies!" 

 

And just like that, the stranger is gone. It takes a moment, but Ten realizes that he's gotten his first taste of Prince Seo, and he finds himself wanting to learn more and more.

 

Ten downs the rest of his water and takes off in search of the elusive Prince Seo.


	3. 10:15 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten tries to make his way to the balcony, but gets stopped for a bewitching conversation with Yuta.

10:15PM

 

Ten takes a few steps outside, examining the mansion from the entrance. He sits on the fountain in the courtyard, searching for the highest vantage point he could find, thinking that he'd be able to spot Prince Seo from afar quickly.

 

His eyes land on a balcony on the second floor, and his feet take off in that direction. Along the way, a few people stop him and talk to him, praising his designs once more. He thanks each one graciously, but it's clear by his expression that he is a man on a mission, not to be disturbed.

 

The man in front of him doesn't seem to get the memo, though.

 

"Ten! I've been looking for you all night."  the man smiles at him, running a black-polished hand through his lavender hair. If Ten hadn't already met Lucas, he probably would have swooned, but his nerves are keeping him on edge tonight.

 

"Nakamoto Yuta. It's a pleasure to meet you. Would you like some champagne?" Yuta offers him a glass of champagne, and unfortunately, Ten feels like he can't say no.

 

 The two clink their glasses together, Yuta taking a sip from his and offering a wide, healing smile back at him.

 

"Forgive me, but.. Have we met before?" Ten's looking at him curiously, racking his brain to try and remember where he's seen this mysterious man.

 

"Tokyo Fashion Week, 2017. It's been a while, but I still remember your designs like it was yesterday. They really had me bewitched."

 

… Something's not right. Ten decides to test the waters.

 

"Actually, yes, I vaguely remember that.. But I feel like I remember you from somewhere else, too.." he lies. "Did we go to college together?"

 

Yuta's eyes widen as if he just remembered, too. ".. I think we did, actually! I spent a year at UNCT before I got ex-spelled for cheating on an exam."

 

".. Excuse me?"

 

"Expelled. Then I went back to Osaka." Yuta laughs nervously.

 

Ten fakes a sip from his glass, almost positive that the _witch_ in front of him put some sort of potion in it. "Oh, right! I remember that. You were the talk of the semester."

 

"Really? That makes me kind of happy." he looks down to his feet shyly. If Ten wasn't almost positive he was a witch, he might have found that cute. Unfortunately, he's pretty sure the man in front of him has ulterior motives, just like the zombie before him.

 

The moment passes, and Yuta has a different look in his eyes. "Say, it's getting a little late. Would you like to come over and catch up? I'd love to talk with you some more."

 

Ah. There it is. The ulterior motive.

 

Ten smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Sorry, Yuta. I've got some unfinished business here that I'd like to attend to."

 

"That's strange, I thought by now that the potion would have kicked in-"

 

"Ten! There you are! Where were we with our conversation?"

 

Ten recognizes the golden voice of Prince Seo, and when he turns towards it, sure enough, the angel himself has decided to grace the two with their presence. When he looks back to Yuta, the healing smile has been replaced with a look of sheer hatred for the prince. Ten swears he hears Yuta hiss, and the man disappears into the crowd.

 

"Prince Seo. I've been looking for you. Do you have a moment to chat?" Ten looks up into the prince's eyes, captivated by his gaze, oozing royalty vibes.

 

"I do, actually! What would you like to chat about?"

 

"Well, you see -" Ten doesn't even get to finish his sentence before a strange, blue-haired man with the fakest looking horns he has ever seen whispers into the Prince's ear and pulls him away. Ten glares after said blue-haired man as they walk away.

 

Once again, Ten is left alone and confused, a champagne potion still in hand. He shakes his head and continues his journey to the balcony.


	4. 10:32 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten finds himself in a compromising situation at the hands of a certain vampire named Kun.

10:32 PM

 

Ten's been walking for almost five minutes now, and the quieter the music gets, the less people he sees. He's in a hallway now, littered with ornate curtains and vintage furniture, with what seems to be a million doors that could lead to anywhere.

 

The designer closes his eyes and sucks in a breath, irritation starting to well up in his chest. He considers calling Taeil and asking him to pick him up now, just giving up the chase entirely. However, Ten isn't a weak ass bitch, so instead he lets out a giant exhale and goes through the first door he sees when he opens his eyes.

 

It's a library. No, scratch that. It's a huge library, with shelves running to the ceiling, all jam-packed with books. There's a few large tables scattered throughout the area, and a stairway to a second floor littered with even more books, and a large mosaic window in the back of the room.

 

Ten is immediately drawn to the window in the back, completely awestruck by the design.

He places his potion champagne on one of the tables at the top, and he sits on top of it, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.

 

The smell of books always made him feel right at home, bringing him back to his childhood, where he spent days upon days reading fashion magazines and looking at the pretty pictures. He smiles softly to himself as he reminisces on easier days.

 

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

 

A gentle voice brings him out of his thoughts, and he opens his eyes to find a hauntingly beautiful boy staring back at him. His white-blond hair complements his deep brown eyes, and Ten worries he could get lost in them.

 

The boy doesn't show any interest in Ten, instead turning to the various bookshelves, fingers tracing over the various titles. He picks one he finds interesting, and then he sits down at the chair next to the table Ten is on top of, cracking it open as he begins reading.

 

Ten's a little thrown off by this whole encounter, but the mysterious blond boy has his interest. "It.. It definitely is a beautiful night. I feel like I could stare out this window forever."

 

The boy just hums in response, turning a page, and Ten feels a little pissed he couldn't get more of a response from him.

 

"How'd you find this library?" Ten asks, attention now fully on the beautiful book boy in front of him.

 

The man in question glances towards him, raising an eyebrow. "The same way you did: trying random doors until I found a place where there were no noisy guests or champagne."

 

Next thing Ten knows, he's crawling over to the beautiful blond, still on the table, and pulling the book out of his hands. He places it behind him and sits cross legged, staring at the boy in front of him.

 

"Ten. Nice to meet you." he says. "Tell me more about yourself."

 

Mr. Blond folds his hands in his lap, offering a gentle smile. "Qian Kun, UNCT's librarian. It's a pleasure to meet you."

 

Ten feels his heart get caught in his throat. Now that Kun has his full attention focused on the designer, he can fully see every detail of not only his outfit, but his facial features. Ten's eyes linger a little too long on the librarian's hands, and he has to shake his head to regain his focus.

 

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Qian. Can I ask what brings you to this party today?"

 

Apparently, Kun liked that, as a smirk sneaks onto his face. "A good friend of mine invited me here tonight," he replies, thoroughly examining Ten from head to toe, "and it seems like my time may not have been as wasted as I thought it would be."

 

"Oh really? And why is that?" Ten's not sure where all this bravery is coming from, but he plays along anyway.

 

Kun takes one of Ten's hands in his own, gazing through hooded lids at the designer in front of him. "It seems someone might want to play a little game with me."

 

Ten grins, and holds onto Kun's hand. He doesn't notice how cold it is. "What kind of game, hmm?"

 

"One we can't play here, unless we want to get caught." Kun brings a hand up to the designer's cheek, and his smirk has Ten's heart doing backflips in his stomach. "Would you like to play with me?"

 

Ten almost nods yes, until he notices that Kun's eyes have changed to a deep maroon, and there's a hint of something else hiding in that smirk. It grows into a wide smile, and Ten suddenly realizes that Kun has fangs. 

 

Oh god damn it, Kun's a vampire.

 

Ten sighs as he realizes that while going home with this hot librarian could quite possibly be one of the most fun nights of his life, Kun probably also wants to either kill him or turn him into a vampire thrall. And when he double realizes that Kun probably put some sort of vampire spell on him to make the designer fall for him, he's even more pissed.

 

Ten snaps out of it, immediately pulling Kun's hand off of his cheek. "Nice try, but I'm not playing any games with you." He takes the book from behind him and launches it into the vampire's chest, hopping off of the table. He takes the champagne potion and splashes it in his face, turning on his heel to leave.

 

"Funny how you think you have a say in this."

 

There's a rush of wind, and suddenly Ten is pinned against the bookshelf, an evil glint in Kun's eyes. "It's unfortunate that you chose not to play the game with me. This could've been fun for both of us, but it looks like it'll be even more fun for me now."

 

Ten struggles to get out of his grip, but it's useless against Kun's vampire strength. The designer rolls his eyes and groans in irritation. "Fine. Bite me and put me out of my misery, you useless vampire."

 

As if on cue, the library door slams open, and bright light spills into the room. Next thing Ten knows, he's standing by himself, no trace of Kun in sight.

 

"Oh thank god, you're in here!" Prince Seo stands in the doorway, smiling widely at Ten. "Someone told me they saw you come up here, and Kun happened to be nearby."

 

Ten rubs his eyes in frustration, and then he walks over to Prince Seo. "Yeah. I met Kun. He just happens to be a fucking vampire who almost killed me."

 

Prince Seo looks down at him sheepishly. "Sorry about that.. I put my assistant Doyoung in charge of the guest list. It seems he invited a few of his monster friends."

 

"Monster friends. That's fantastic. I think I'll be going home now before another one tries to take me home and kill me." Ten pushes past Prince Seo, thoroughly sick of this game he's been playing.

 

He stops in the doorway as Prince Seo grabs his wrist. "No, wait! Please.. don't go yet. I really wanted to talk to you tonight.."

 

Ten looks back to the prince in confusion, whose gaze is cast to the floor, a hint of pink tinting his cheeks. He raises an eyebrow at the prince's sudden change in mood.

 

"Well, Prince Seo. Talk to me. I'm here." he looks at the prince pointedly, making it fully evident that he wants nothing more than to go home now.

 

"Well.. As you know, I personally invited you here.. and I was hoping I could get to know you more, as I saw your designs before and they're really nice-"

 

And suddenly, Prince Seo is being dragged away from him once again, seemingly by a very angry maid. Ten watches as Prince Seo doesn't break eye contact with him, almost falling a couple times as the maid swears at him in fluent Korean.

 

"Ten! Please don't - please don't leave yet!!" Prince Seo is calling out to him as he gets further and further away, a hand reaching out for him in desperation.

 

Maybe Ten finds it a little cute.

 

And maybe Ten will stay on the off chance that Prince Seo will find him again, without getting dragged away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you tell i like vampires a lot (clown emoji)


	5. 11:00 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten meets Doyoung, and learns that you shouldn't mess with the devil.

11:00PM

 

Ten closes the door to the library, deciding that Prince Seo would eventually find his way to him before the end of the night. He makes his way back to the main party area as he realizes he has yet to check out the various hors d'oeuvres and petit gateaus he had been hearing about from various guests.

 

Since he's no longer on a mission, he does his best to take in the scenery surrounding him. It's beautiful, vintage architecture and interior design, something reminiscent of Victorian Europe. Ten finds it a little strange, considering NCITY is deep in the heart of California, but he figures that with enough money, any kind of magic can happen.

 

He's pulled out of his thoughts when a body suddenly crashes into him, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Clutching his head, Ten opens his eyes to find he's face to face with the strange blue haired boy from before, who is equally as pissed as he is.

 

Blue haired boy utters a string of curse words in a language Ten can't understand. Normally, he'd have felt a little fear, but after previous events, Ten decides he has nothing left to lose tonight.

 

 "Those horns look so fake, dude. It's kind of embarrassing."

 

Blue haired boy is immediately offended. "Excuse me? Who the hell are you?"

 

"Who the hell are _you?"_

 

"Kim Doyoung, the one in charge of making sure this party goes smoothly." Doyoung glares at the designer. "I was looking for Prince Seo, so stop bothering me."

 

"E.. Excuse me? You're the one who bumped into _me!"_ Ten shuts his eyes in frustration, clenching his fist.

 

"Anyway, who the hell are you? I don't recognize you, you're not wearing a name tag." Doyoung stares at him for a moment, and his eyes widen in realization. "Wait, you're the idiot that Prince Seo wanted to throw this whole party for."

 

It's unfortunate that Doyoung is so rude, because if it weren't for that comment, Ten would have found him cute. "I'm not an idiot. I'm Ten, award-winning fashion designer of 2018. And I'd say _you're_ the idiot here, because your horns look fake as hell."

 

Doyoung reaches out to slap him, but stops himself. "You're lucky that Prince Seo told me not to touch you." He folds his arms, pouting. "And for your information, these horns are _very much_ real, asshole."

 

Ten grins. "If I touch them, are they gonna trigger some sort of reaction in you?"

 

"Go ahead, touch me. See what happens."

 

Ten decides that he was just threatened, so instead he stands up and dusts himself off.

 

"I've had enough of you. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to scoping out the buffet."

 

Doyoung rolls his eyes and grabs Ten's wrist. "Oh, no you're not. I'm not done with you yet."

 

Ten shuts his eyes and sighs deeply as Doyoung throws him over his shoulder and walks off, further away from the party, and further away from the beautiful desserts. Next thing he knows, they're outside, in the outer courtyard.

 

It's beautiful, really. There's a big hedge maze, similar to NCITY Art Museum, and several rose bushes groomed to the perfect height. A forest surrounds the courtyard, and the almost-full moon is high in the sky.

 

"Can you at least tell me what they were serving at the buffet? I'm actually hungry now, asshole." Ten deadpans. Doyoung side-eyes him.

 

"Deviled eggs."

 

Ten rolls his eyes and smacks Doyoung, on the back. "Hilarious."

 

"Hey. Don't smack my wings, that shit hurts." Doyoung dumps him on the side of the fountain, uttering a few more untranslatable words, and then Ten realizes he can't move.

 

"Oh, this is just _fantastic._ Now I can't move." Ten looks completely dead inside. "What happens now, are you going to take me home and kill me?"

 

"Hilarious. I wouldn't kill you, you're actually pretty cute." Doyoung offers an unfortunately dashing smile. "But you _are_ a pain in the ass, so I'm going to leave you here. Maybe Jaehyun will find you and eat you. He's into pretty boys like you, and I'm sure once he sees you his human brain will shut off."

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"You better hope your knight in shining armor shows up before Jaehyun does." Doyoung cackles. "Maybe you'll learn to not mess with a demon next time."

 

Ten begins to feel panic rise in his throat as Doyoung turns around and walks away, flipping him off. He tries his best to move, but he can feel invisible restraints holding him in place. If this was under different circumstances, maybe he would've found this a little hot.

 

The designer shuts his eyes, thinking of a way to get out of the curse. A light bulb goes off in his head as he remembers that he still has his cell phone.

 

"Hey Siri, call my secretary!"

 

No response.

 

"Hey Siri!!!"

 

Siri is fucking useless. Ten lets out an exasperated yell, hanging his head in shame as he realizes he could be stuck here for the rest of the night, or worse, eaten by this Jaehyun boy.

 

It feels like ages pass before he finally hears the footsteps of another person. He looks up and locks eyes with Prince Seo, whose eyebrows raise as he realizes the predicament that the designer is in.

 

"Oh my goodness! You must've met Doyoung. I'm so sorry." Prince Seo rushes over to him, muttering another untranslatable incantation, and suddenly Ten is free. The prince moves to hold him and check if he's okay, but Ten immediately backs away, irritation in his eyes.

 

"Please don't tell me you're a demon too. Your partner is an asshole, and I've dealt with more than enough assholes for today." Ten folds his arms, still seated on the fountain.

 

Prince Seo steps back as he realizes what Doyoung has done. "No, no.." he replies, "I took an exorcism class in high school. I know a few basic incantations to undo the ones Doyoung does, since, well.. You're not the first person he's done this to. I'm so sorry, Ten.. He has anger issues."

 

"Well, that's fantastic." Ten furrows his brows in frustration. "He said something about you throwing this party for _me?"_

 

Prince Seo immediately turns a bright red. "F-for you?!" he stammers, "N-no, I just.. I felt like throwing a party, that's all!"

 

The prince's nervous laughter has Ten confused. Suspicion aside, however, there's no denying that Prince Seo is incredibly cute when he's put on the spot. Maybe the prince had a crush on him.

 

Ten grows a little confidence. "Take me to the buffet, please. I'm hungry and I'd like to eat something before midnight."

 

Prince Seo smiles brightly. "Gladly. While we're at it, would you like a tour of the gardens? I should be free enough for the rest of the night, especially since Doyoung is now stuck dealing with internal affairs."

 

The prince holds out his hand, and Ten takes it. The two walk arm in arm, back to the party, and Ten feels like this night can't get any worse. They're chatting idly about meaningless party-related things,

 

Ten begins to grow a soft spot in his heart for the prince. He's kind, gentle-hearted, and he knows exactly how to handle his stupid monster friends. To top it all off, he's _really tall, and really cute,_ and Ten thinks he might want to marry this man.

 

They don't even spend five minutes at the buffet table before Prince Seo gets pulled away again. He apologizes profusely, begging Ten not to leave yet, as there's still something he needs to ask him.

 

And once again, Ten is left by himself, begrudgingly eating a deviled egg.


	6. 11:30PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten meets the most sane person of the night, a fairy named Taeyong.

11:30 PM

 

Ten doesn't even have five seconds to himself before a breathtakingly gorgeous boy walks up to him. With wide doe eyes, light pink hair, and the smokiest eye makeup he's ever seen, Ten is absolutely speechless, deviled egg falling out of his hand and landing on the floor with a thud. 

 

The boy doesn't even get a chance to introduce himself before Ten starts shamelessly flirting with him.

 

"Oh my god. You're.. You're ethereal."

 

Pink-haired boy lets out the softest giggle Ten has ever heard, and he feels like he might die of happiness here and now. "Nice to meet you, Ten. I'm Taeyong."

 

Ten blinks in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

 

With the question, Taeyong grows shy, hiding his hands behind him and looking to the floor, a quiet smile on his face. "Well.. I'm actually a really big fan of your work. I've been following you since maybe a few months after you got famous."

 

"Are.. Are you serious?" Ten's jaw drops when Taeyong nods, peering at him from under his bangs. The designer pulls the boy into an ecstatic hug.

 

"I can't believe this," Ten cries, "this is the most exciting thing to happen to me all night. I'm so happy to have met someone who was there with me through all my struggles."

 

Taeyong giggles softly. "I hope you don't find this kind of weird, but I might have been following you around all night..." he pulls Ten out of the hug. "I'm actually a fairy!"

 

Oh god damn it. Here we go again.

 

"Really? You're a fairy? But you're the same size as any other human."

 

"I can switch between a fairy size and a human size. I'm just not switching right now because otherwise it'd attract too much unnecessary attention, you know?"

 

Ten nods. "I'm curious, but I totally get it. Say, have you ever been a model before?"

 

Taeyong's eyes light up, and the two launch into excited conversations about him potentially modeling Ten's work. Their conversation takes them into the gardens, the quiet of the night filled with two voices chattering away and champagne glasses clinking.

 

Ten learns through their conversation that Taeyong is indeed a model already, through a company called Vision Entertainment. Apparently, that's where he met Doyoung, and that is also how he was invited to tonight's party.

 

"Fuck that demon guy. He cursed me and left me out here for Jaehyun to eat." Ten grumbles, folding his arms and looking to the ground. The two are seated on a bench by the rose garden, taking in the fresh air.

 

"Oh, I have." Taeyong giggles, and Ten looks at the fairy boy as if he just caught on fire. "He's pretty cute."

 

"You're… You're joking with me right?"

 

"No?"

 

Ten shakes his head and returns to sipping his champagne. There's a moment of silence before he sighs and looks up to the sky, reflecting on the events of the night.

 

"You know, Taeyong," Ten remarks, "I think you're the only person I've had a normal conversation with tonight. I don't understand why every single monster boy I've met tonight has either tried to take me home or kill me. Kun flat out almost bit me in the library, it was so stupid."

 

"Oh my god, you met Kun. I'm so sorry." Taeyong places a gentle hand over Ten's. "He's really nice, but he's a completely different person when he's into you."

 

Ten meets Taeyong's eyes, and his expression changes when he swears he sees literal hearts in them. He sighs again.

 

"Not you too.."

 

Taeyong immediately frowns, head turned back to the ground. "I'm sorry.. You just have this.. I don't know.. but something is drawing me to you. If it makes you feel better, I know Prince Seo is the one interested in you, so I wasn't going to try and make a move on you."

 

Ten looks to the ground too, bumping Taeyong's foot with his own. "… Thanks. I really do appreciate that."

 

There's another moment of silence before Ten speaks up again. "I really did mean it when I said I want you to model my work."

 

"… Really?" Taeyong's eyes light up, and he's out of his seat. He pulls a business card out of his wallet, handing it to the designer.

 

Ten accepts it with a genuine smile. "I'll shoot you an email and we can set up an interview time, okay?"

 

Taeyong nods graciously, a childlike grin on his face. He scampers over to one of the rose bushes, plucking a pink one and placing it in Ten's hair.

 

"Thank you again, Ten, for everything," he says, bowing deeply, "I'm so glad I got to meet you tonight. Doyoung is probably looking for me now, so I'm going to leave. Have a great night!"

 

Ten swears he hears Taeyong say something else, but he can't understand it. He just waves after the model, watching him skip away.

 

He stands up from the bench, stretching his legs and walking around the garden. He examines the pretty shades of red and pink in each rose, a soft smile on his face as he continues to think about the cute fairy boy he just met. Maybe he was starting to fall for him too..

 

"Oh my god, get that out of your hair."

 

As if on cue once again, Prince Seo appears, yanking the rose out of his hair and throwing it on the ground. He steps on it, and it emits a red glow, before slowly shriveling and drying up.

 

Ten looks down at the shriveled rose incredulously, and then back up at Prince Seo. "What the hell was that?"

 

"Were you just with Taeyong?"

 

Ten nods.

 

"I think he put a charm on that rose. Probably to make you fall in love with him."

 

"… Are you fucking kidding me? I literally almost offered him a job. He gave me his business card, Seo." Ten glares at the prince, waving Taeyong's business card in his face.

 

Prince Seo lets out a soft laugh. "Don't worry. Taeyong is the least harmless of the monster boys."

 

However, Ten isn't laughing. "You don't get it, do you? Literally all of your monster boys have been coming after me tonight to either try and take me home, or kill me, or get me to fall in love with them, and I'm sick of it. I'm done here, Seo. I'm going home."

 

The prince's smile fades as he realizes his time might be up. "… Okay, Ten, I'm going to come clean here."

 

"What?"

 

"I'm sorry. The truth is, I really did throw this party so I could get to know you, but I thought it would be weird if I just invited you out somewhere despite never having met you…" the prince scratches the back of his neck shyly. "I've been following your work for quite a while now, and while I love it, I think somewhere along the way.. I fell for the artist behind the masterpiece."

 

Ten's heart skips a beat.

 

(these fucking rich people)

 

"Please let me make it up to you. Here, take my arm, I want to give you a tour of the garden."

 

Ten's initially pissed attitude softens as he realizes that Prince Seo really didn't get it, didn't understand the gravity of the situation he had created, and he takes Johnny's arm in his own.

 

The prince gives him a full tour of the gardens, and Ten is absolutely awestruck as he listens. He's not really listening to what is being said; rather, his senses are tuned in on everything else about the man.

 

Prince Seo radiates this aura of innocence, much unlike any man Ten has met before him, and definitely unlike any of the monster boys Ten has met tonight. It makes him curious, wanting to know more about the man whose arm he held.

 

The moment is over as soon as it began, as Doyoung appears from seemingly nothing and is pulling Prince Seo away again to make final preparations for the countdown to the new year. Doyoung sticks his tongue out at Ten as he begins to walk away, but Prince Seo stops him.

 

"We're about to get ready for the countdown. Would you like to join me?" the prince asks.

 

Ten offers a polite smile in return. "No thank you, I think I might suffocate if I go back in there with all those partygoers. It's getting late, too, so I'm sure they're all drunk and wild."

 

Prince Seo bows as he disappears with Doyoung, and Ten sits on the fountain again, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. Maybe he was falling for the prince.

 

Suddenly, a loud howl resounds throughout the area, and Ten's heart drops to his stomach.

 

That must be Jaehyun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no


	7. 11:30PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *howls in time with EXO's Wolf*

11:30PM

 

Ten immediately turns on his heel, walking straight back to the mansion and making every attempt to avoid Jaehyun. If Doyoung spoke the truth about Jaehyun's favorite type of boy, then he was absolutely screwed, and he needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

 

But of course, nothing was meant to go right on this night, and there's a large figure blocking his path. The garden lights cut out, as if on cue, and Ten is bathed in moonlight, an eerily handsome wolf boy standing in front of him.

 

"Fuck," Jaehyun exhales, fanged grin on his face, "Doyoung was right. You really are my type."

 

Ten just blinks back at him. "What the actual fuck? Get your furry ass out of the way! I have somewhere to be, I don't care how hot you are!"

 

"That's funny, that you think you can run from me." Jaehyun steps a little bit too close.

 

"I don't think you understand. The moment I laid eyes on you, I claimed you as mine. You don't have a say in what you get to do anymore." he growls in Ten's ear, sending shivers down the designer's spine.

 

Ten says nothing and rolls his eyes, but the shaky breath he lets out betrays his cool façade.

 

Jaehyun smirks, fangs peeking from his lips. "You're afraid, aren't you? Good. Someone has to put you in your place."

 

And he's right. Ten is genuinely afraid, especially as Jaehyun throws him over his shoulder and starts walking towards the forest, ears twitching and tail wagging excitedly. Ten knows he's screwed because Prince Seo is absolutely tied up with party business, and there is no one coming to save him.

 

"Wait. Wait. You can't touch me. Prince Seo told all of you stupid monster boys not to touch me." Ten manages to stutter out, desperately gripping onto his last moments of sanity.

 

"Lucky for you I don't give a flying fuck about Prince Seo's rules. You're mine now." Jaehyun snickers to himself as he continues walking further and further away from the mansion and Ten's hopes of safety.

 

Ten shuts his eyes, racking his brain for some sort of way to save himself. A few moments pass, and his eyes pop open as he gets ready to execute his only solution.

 

He reaches up and scratches Jaehyun's head.

 

Jaehyun immediately stops moving. "What the hell did you just do?"

 

"Oh, you like that huh?"

 

"Fuck you. Do it again."

 

Ten scratches his head again, and immediately begins to squirm when Jaehyun shuts his eyes and whines softly, leaning into his touch.

 

"Oh my GOD. This is DISGUSTING, get your kinky bullshit OUT OF HERE and let go of me, you ACTUAL BUFFOON." Ten starts pounding on his back, and Jaehyun finally puts him down.

 

The wolf boy meets his eyes, and his mannerisms have completely changed.

 

"Please don't stop," he whines, "I promise I won't eat you if you keep petting me…"

 

Ten stares at him blankly. "Why do I have this feeling that you were just putting up a front, and you were never going to eat me?"

 

Jaehyun pouts and shoots Ten puppy eyes. "No.. But I have a better idea. Let's go find Prince Seo's bedroom so you can pet me more."

 

Wow, this bitch has no shame.

 

And suddenly, Jaehyun is pulling Ten back towards the mansion, into the main party area, desperately attempting to find the way to Prince Seo's bedroom. Unluckily for him, they bump into Prince Seo himself.

 

Prince Seo looks ecstatic to see them. "Oh, you made it just in time! The countdown is about to start. Would you like to join us?"

 

Jaehyun glares back. "Fuck your countdown. I need this gorgeous man to pet me right now."

 

Prince Seo raises an eyebrow, blank confusion on his face, and Ten shakes his head.

 

"I'll forgive you for hiding him from me if you join us." Jaehyun grins at Prince Seo.

 

The dots connect in the prince's head, and he pulls Ten away from the wolf boy, clearly offended. "I thought I told you paws off! Go bother Doyoung, he's been looking for you."

 

Jaehyun tilts his head, and the puppy eyes have returned. "But Johnny………." he whines.

 

Prince Seo shuts his eyes in irritation, and pulls on Jaehyun's tail. His eyes immediately glaze over, and Jaehyun is finally obedient.

 

Ten pulls a glass of champagne off of a butler's tray and takes a huge sip. "I'm too sober for this," he deadpans.

 

"Sorry, Ten," Prince Seo says, "he's my pet."

 

Ten finishes the glass.

 

The music in the party area decrescendos to silence, as the audience begins chanting in time with the large clock. Ten realizes that he's starting to feel the effects of downing alcohol so quickly, and all inhibitions are thrown out the window.

 

"So, your name is Johnny, huh.. What a goofy name," he teases, words beginning to slur. He misses the blush forming on Prince Seo's face.

 

Five.

 

"It's not a goofy name.." Prince Seo mutters, pulling Ten closer to him. He has a hand in Jaehyun's hair, petting the wolf boy.

 

Four. 

 

"You're right. It's a cute name."

 

Three.

 

"Can I take you out on a date?"

 

Two. 

 

"Kiss me and I'm yours."

 

One.

 

Happy New Year!!!

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year :) here's to a wonderful 2019! i'll see you on twitter @ _seojohnny. love you!!!


End file.
